Salzburg bike-sharing launch hits trouble over courthouse marking

Salzburg’s new S-Bike bicycle-sharing system has drawn criticism after a parking marking was painted in front of the entrance to the city’s justice building, ORF reported. The system began operating on Monday.

The marking shows where users must leave the bicycles after use. Signs on the gate prohibit stopping and parking and warn that the entrance must remain clear.

The gate is mainly used to bring prisoners into the courtyard and rooms of the building for trials or court appointments.

The Salzburg branch of the Freedom Party, FPÖ, quickly described the mistake as a “municipal obstacle course” created by the city’s “left-wing majority”. The party did not initially note that the state is financing half of the project and that the FPÖ is part of the state government.

In an afternoon statement, the Salzburg Regional Court said the markings had been correctly coordinated during planning but were mistakenly painted in the wrong place. They will be corrected as soon as possible, the court said. It added that it was in ongoing discussions with Salzburg city authorities and that access to the justice building and the so-called prisoner transfer zone remained fully possible.

S-Bike is expected to offer more than 600 electric bicycles at over 60 stations across the city by the end of the year, with bicycles gradually becoming available for rental and return. In the long term, the network is intended to grow to 1,000 bicycles at up to 100 locations.

Politicians view the system as part of public transport in the central region. It is intended to help people cover the first and last mile between a stop and their destination quickly and comfortably by bicycle. S-Bike uses only electric bicycles, and its stations do not require charging infrastructure because a mobile team replaces the batteries.